First Cooperative to Cut Energy Use During Peak Times Through Customer Challenges

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - Feb 15, 2013) - Today MyEnergy and Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) announce the first customer engagement program launched by a cooperative to gamify energy efficiency and demand response. Utilizing MyEnergy's customer engagement platform, MVEC will give its customers the chance to win prizes and earn rewards for participating in energy-saving challenges during times of peak energy consumption. By tapping into the natural desire to compete and earn rewards, MVEC aims to provide a fun and engaging way for households to reduce energy during peak demand.

In addition to cutting energy during peak times, the platform will also motivate ongoing energy savings through the following features:

Online dashboard - easy to understand and personalized energy consumption information, plus the ability to compare energy use with others, set goals, and track progress

MVEC's new platform will be powered by MyEnergy's powerful, yet affordable online customer engagement solution. Previously, due to the cost and lengthy implementation process, robust customer engagement platforms had been deployed only by large investor owned utilities. By providing a solution that doesn't require any back-end integration with a utilities' billing system, which reduces cost and risk, MyEnergy is making it possible for utilities of all sizes to use powerful customer engagement platforms.

"Our system is compatible with any utility's online data presentment or billing system," explains Ben Bixby, MyEnergy's CEO. "We simply pull data from an existing system which requires no additional work from a utility's IT department, and in turn this allows us to launch programs quickly, reliably, and at a low cost."

"We're always looking for new ways to engage MVEC members and drive energy reduction during peak demand times, and we're thrilled to have finally found a solution that allows us to do both effectively," said Ryan Hentges, VP of corporate services at MVEC. "MyEnergy offers a best-in-class product that's affordable, easy to implement, and proven effective at motivating consumer efficiency. As an added bonus, MyEnergy understands the cooperative environment really well. We couldn't be happier."

About MyEnergyMyEnergy is a personalized guide to saving energy, helping households across the U.S. reduce energy consumption and save hundreds on utility bills annually. The free site provides consumers with the necessary tools and customized information to track energy consumption and receive rewards when they lower utility bills. For utilities, MyEnergy offers an affordable and modern online solution for customer engagement that's easy to implement across organizations of all sizes. Founded in 2007, MyEnergy is a privately held company based in Boston, MA. To learn more about the company, visit www.myenergy.com.